Congress passed a bill Friday to extend payroll tax cuts in a bipartisan effort to keep more money in the pockets of most Americans -- but most Maryland lawmakers aren't celebrating.

Federal workers make up about 10 percent of Maryland's workforce, and under this deal, new federal workers will be forced to make some significant concessions.

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Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill approved the $144 billion package, which will extend the payroll tax cut through the end of the year, ensure that unemployment benefits will continue for at least 63 weeks and protect doctors from Medicare reimbursement cuts.

"With inflation running over 2 percent and wages growing about 2 percent, this extra income that you've been getting as a result of the payroll tax reduction is extra money in your pocket," said Morris Segall, an economist with Baltimore-based SPG Trend Advisors.

The extension will keep the payroll tax rate at 4.2 percent -- about $1,000 in "take-home pay" -- or $40 a week to most workers.

Economists like Segall called it a positive deal for the state and the country, but the majority of Maryland lawmakers didn't vote for the bill because they said it means major concessions for new federal employees who will now have to contribute more money to their pensions.

"Not a millionaire, not a billionaire, nobody in this bill other than for federal employees is asked to pay," U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-District 5, said vociferously during debate on the House floor.

U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-District 2, was the only Maryland Democrat to support the bill, citing economic growth and jobs.

"This tax break will help Marylanders," Ruppersberger told WBAL-TV 11 News. "It will help people throughout the United States. (It will) give people extra money that will help up us spend money, create jobs help to get out of the recession.

"One-point-eight million employees are getting a benefit from this. So, we can't look at this through a microscope of just the federal employees -- as important as they are to the state. (We) have to look at it in the context of the state as a whole," Segall said.

New federal employees would pay more than triple what workers pay now. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill into law over the weekend.